PlayStation Vita

The argument can still be made that the PlayStation Vita is lacking in the games department, though it can’t be said the handheld is sorely lacking when it comes to providing games in the fighting genre. With entries in the Mortal Kombat, Marvel vs. Capcom, and BlazBlue franchises being on Sony’s powerful handheld, the options are there for gamers wishing to enjoy a bout of combat. A Tekken installment on the Vita may still be off the cards for now, but the over-the-top brawler that is Dead or Alive is soon set to arrive on the handheld.

Serving as the perfect example that we should be cautious of free games, Puzziball is a shallow title with mechanics that aren’t dreadful yet aren’t entirely fun. The small amount of stages within the game that aren’t paid DLC may be enough to keep someone busy, but Puzziball is so forgettable that I doubt anyone will be motivated to play the game past the first themed world.

The Pros:

+ It was free and the download size is small as it’s only 69MB

The Cons:

- Gameplay is dull.- The amount of free content is somewhat small.- Art style is horrendous in a mid 1990s kind of way.

ShogunGamer.com Rating :

3

Sometimes when an item is free it can either mean two things: company x is being nice to us or the product is so bad that it’s obvious a decent profit won’t be made. It’s somewhat rare for games to be free, yet every now and then we are lucky whether it’s a piece of DLC or in this case a new title for the PlayStation Mobile platform. Being an open minded gamer and one that’s always on the search for new titles to play on my Vita, I decided to download the completely free game that is Puzziball. Too bad that the game ultimately turned out to be so painfully bad to play that

As a reminder of the more simpler days of the shooting genre, Alien Breed holds up well today as it’s neither a dull shooter nor is it an arcade one that can be easily completed in twenty minutes. Combining the best of both worlds, Alien Breed has gameplay that’s accessible yet has a rather enjoyable grinding nature that encourages exploration. With a nice collection of content thanks to two existing releases and the addition of eight new levels, Alien Breed is a welcomed addition to the PlayStation Mobile software library.

The Pros:

+ Both the classic and enhanced visuals are nice to look at.+ Gotta love the creepy OST and shriek of the aliens.+ Controls are simple and totally responsive.+New levels offer some nice variety alongside the more natural stage design.

The Cons:

- Not being able to switch between classic and enhanced visuals in between levels.

ShogunGamer.com Rating :

8

There are some video games out there that are so good that they simply become timeless. No matter how far certain graphical or gameplay leaps may be made, there are a select few games out there that simply remain good no matter how old they are. Titles like Pac-Man and Doom can stand the test of time even if they don’t have HD visuals since at the end of the day what makes a good game is how good the actual gameplay is. Now the classic shoot-em-up action of Alien Breed has been re-released for a younger generation and yes - the game is still that damn good.

Pulled deep within a tomb of “Why the hell does this game exist?”, Sony has officially announced Uncharted: Fight For Fortune. The next PlayStation Vita installment in the Uncharted series, this latest entry forgoes the standard pulp action & adventure tone that gamers love in favor of being a turn-based card game. Yup, it’s time for Nathan Drake to deliver epic punches via the wonders of waiting your turn and issuing the deadly kapow card.

Some disappointment may have been present when it was revealed that the Vita bound Uncharted: Fight or Fortune was a card/gambling game, but hope may not be lost for a proper sequel to Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Performing well, both critically and commercially, a new Uncharted Vita game was likely expected to happen yet the question still stood of exactly when. Well based on a recent job listing we could receive such goodness somewhat soon.

It may be time for PlayStation Vita owners to buy a new memory stick since Sony is finally giving us the goods more or less. After announcing earlier this year that the PlayStation Plus service would be bound for the Vita, Sony has at long last announced what free games will be available to gamers and thankfully the launch isn’t a complete bust.

Sony may not be doing their best to promote PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale considering the game comes out in less than two weeks, but such a thing ultimately won’t have an effect on the overall quality of the product. Debates about the similarities between PS All-Stars and the Smash Bros. franchise will likely continue until the planet Earth is invaded by aliens or suddenly goes boom, but the team at SuperBot Entertainment have done something that will likely please everyone who has been a PlayStation fan since day 1.

Fans of the Uncharted series may be happy to hear that the franchise is making a return to the PlayStation Vita in a smaller and less action oriented adventure. After serving as a launch game for the Vita earlier this year, Uncharted is returning to Sony’s handheld once more in Uncharted: Fight or Fortune - a new card based game.

After ten years of providing entertainment to gamers the Ratchet & Clank series doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon as evident by the latest entry, R&C: Full Frontal Assault. After being announced earlier this year, the newest R&C adventure has somewhat gone under the radar aside from a short closed multiplayer beta that went on earlier this year. Even though the marketing and hype may not be in full blitz mode, the dynamic duo of Ratchet & Clank are once again poised to arrive on the PlayStation 3.

For the past few days Sony has been teasing the release of a special video and of course that led to the one thing the internet and gaming communities love to do: speculate. There’s nothing wrong with some logical speculation, but when a tease of a video is made through actual clips and somehow people correlate that to being a new Infamous game, IP reveal, or even a next-gen PlayStation tease then I can’t help but shake my head. As expected, the reveal Sony was teasing was for a new live-action tie-in video for PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.